


Let's Be Heroes

by moogiorin



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 02:41:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9154801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moogiorin/pseuds/moogiorin
Summary: Three young adventurers on a mission get wrapped up in a conflict much more dangerous than any of them realize, even after the fact. With magic, swords, and cunning, Lucio, Hana, and Lena clash with monsters and the evil Talon organization.





	

The three young adventurers walked through a forest, shafts of sunlight piercing the thick treeline to make pockets of warmth throughout. Hana, with obvious annoyance and a loud sigh of frustration, looked at her map again.

“We’re lost,” she declared to the others for the third time since entering the forest.

Lucio, a short distance ahead of Hana and Lena, raised a hand to wave over his shoulder, “We’ll get through this, don’t worry. Relax and enjoy the view.”

Lena nudged Hana with her elbow, “He’s right. We’re not in any rush, what’s a little detour among friends?”

“We were supposed to reach town yesterday. Morning. And I’m not worried, I’m annoyed. And hungry.”

“What for?” Lena asked, scratching her cheek idly.

Hana looked at Lena, mouth slightly agape before repeating herself. “Yesterday. Morning. Hungry.”

Lucio turned to the women, walking the path backwards with his hands clasped behind his head. He took a placating tone, sensing the imminent argument. “Maybe, but we’re here now. Let’s just focus on getting through this, eh?”

Reluctantly, Hana let the issue go, stowing her map once more in the satchel at her hip. Lucio gave her an encouraging smile before turning again. She took a deep breath, trying to enjoy the nature for what it was and ignore what it was keeping them from.

“Compared to what we’re usually getting up to, a walk in the woods isn’t so bad anyway,” Lena said.

“Fair enough,” Hana agreed. “Monsters, bandits, and those Talon guys are more interesting, though.”

As if on cue, something far behind them roared long and loudly. A flock of birds took flight, cawing their dismay. The three exchanged concerned looks, and hastened along their path.

“Sounded big,” Hana’s hand flew to her chin as she sank in thought, pondering what it could have been.

“And not far behind” Lena clapped her on the shoulder, then gently took Hana by the wrist to lower the telltale hand. “Time for strategizing later, time to run.”

“I can run and think,” Hana half pouted.

The three picked up their pace, moving at a brisk jog through the forest. Not for the first time, Hana was thankful none of them wore particularly cumbersome armor. Lena’s magically reinforced leathers were the heaviest between them, herself and Lucio preferring light battlemage clothing. The two of them wore similarly hooded tunics, whatever their original colors were long faded to gray. Hana’s was belted a bit higher, and split up one side. She wore dark leggings where Lucio’s pants were notably looser. Both wore comfortable boots made for long journeys.

Another roar, much closer this time, startled Lena so much she nearly tripped. Lucio glanced over his shoulder, and raised a hand. Green energy pulsed around his hand, his whispered spell inaudible to the others. He drew a quick circle in the air, the energy dissipating and reforming as a wind at their backs. Their speed nearly doubled, with no added effort from any of them.

“We’ll have to turn and fight soon. Need a better place than this,” Hana said, calm despite the ever approaching roar. She hit Lena with the back of an open hand to get her attention, “Mind scouting ahead? Try to find a clearing or something with space to work with.”

Lena nodded, her brown eyes flashing blue before she vanished altogether. Her path was easy to follow, bright blue streaks and every few meters a full afterimage. The blue image left looking at Hana winked with its tongue out. Hana smiled despite the situation. Whatever was following them was close enough that its thrashing was audible, as were the sounds of branches snapping like twigs.

“Another boost, Lucio?” Hana ran at his side now, looking at her fellow mage with urgency in her eyes.

He nodded, slowing briefly as he put both hands together. The green burst of magic energy was more intense this time, as was their acceleration. Lena appeared behind them in a flash of blue, reaching towards Lucio’s back. Without a word he reached back, hand still glowing. When Lena touched the source of the magic, she enjoyed the same boost, running on Lucio’s other side.

“Straight ahead there’s a clearing. Not far now. The usual plan?”

“Not broke,” Hana started.

“Don’t fix it,” Lucio finished with a grin.

In a few moments, the three of them emerged into a wide oval shaped clearing, with ample room to fight whatever was chasing them. Fallen trees were scattered about. Hana continued running to the opposite side, gathering magic energy in her feet and leaping high into a tree. Lena and Lucio set off in opposite directions, then took to the treeline as well. They waited for what seemed like an eternity, the beast’s roars and thrashing telling of its frenzied approach. The hulking ogre burst from the treeline, its imminent roar catching in its throat when it found the clearing empty. It looked around slowly, red eyes glinting with rage. Its nostrils flared, and saliva dripped from a mouth filled with teeth like rows of swords.

From its left, Tracer dashed into view, making a series of short blinks until she stood at the tall beast’s feet. She craned her neck and whistled to get its dimwitted attention, long gone by the time the ogre tried to snatch her up. It was smart enough to follow her glowing trail, chasing her on all fours. She repeatedly allowed the ogre to nearly catch her, then blinked erratically to avoid a certain deathblow. Though the taunting was probably lost on the dull ogre, Lena stood on a long dead tree, yawning dramatically. The ogre’s clawed fist split the dead wood, Lena leaving a bright streak to safety.

“You ready yet?” she called, knowing Hana would hear her.

A heartbeat later a whistle came from the tree Hana had jumped into, and Lena grinned. The girl’s magic might take a long time to prepare, but she was happy to buy time to watch the result. She circled the ogre with a series of blinks and after images, spiralling further away with each circle. The ogre swiped at each image, growing in frustration as it lashed out in every direction. Hana leaped into action, surrounded by bright pink magic energy as she sailed in a high arc. She hit the ground in a crouch, her energy sinking into the ground. The dramatic entrance stunned even the ogre, and it watched dumbfounded as Hana’s spell took effect.

The ground around Hana churned as a large stone hand reached up at her side. Another from the other, and her towering earth golem began to pull itself up. As it climbed from the ground, the golem left a large crater where its body’s material had been moments before. Hana stood atop it’s featureless head, arms crossed and looking down at the ogre triumphantly. Her pink aura flared to life, spiralling along the golem’s limbs and giving her total control. With a grin she made a fist, raising it high as the golem mimicked her action.

“Wait wait!” she heard Lucio calling up to her. “We need something to eat!” he shouted, pointing at the ogre.

Hana scrunched up her face, not looking forward to the meal but complying all the same. Instead of smashing the still stunned frozen ogre, the golem’s hand came down to flick the ogre’s head off. As its head sailed into the forest to be scavenged, the ogre’s lifeless body fell backwards.

“Gonna be gross!” she yelled back down, directing the golem to step back into the crater and kneel.

She landed in a crouch, and dusted herself off before turning to the golem still under her power. Lena and Lucio joined her as the golem slowly disassembled itself, collapsing to fill the hole. Hana dispelled her magic with a snap, then doubled over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

“You alright?” Lucio put a supportive hand on her back.

She took a few seconds to catch her breath, cough, then stand up straight with a confident nod. “Yeah, yeah, just used a little more power than I realized.”

“You might be a prodigy, but know your limits,” Lucio spoke softly as they walked towards the fallen ogre, soon to be a few days worth of meals.

“Can’t know ‘em if I don’t push ‘em,” Hana grinned. Lucio looked over his shoulder, raising his eyebrows slightly. Hana scrunched her nose, “Fine, fine. I’ll be careful.”

Lena put her arm around Hana’s shoulder, pulling her into a rough hug, “Don’t listen to him, he’s just jealous kid.”

Hana squirmed for a moment, but eventually consigned herself to the hug. “Don’t call me kid.”

“Sorry, sorry, don’t smash me with a golem love,” Lena laughed, planting a kiss on the top of Hana’s head and letting her go.

“I’m not cooking this thing, by the way,” Hana pointed to the dead ogre Lucio was examining, carving knife in hand.

“You’re a cooking disaster anyway, don’t think I’d let you,” Lucio winked at her and set to work.

“Hmph! You’re both getting smashed,” Hana said, crossing her arms indignantly.

“We’re only mean because we love you,” Lena said, working on the other side of the golem with her own knife.

Hana turned to hide her smile, looking up at the sky happily. “Love you both.” These were the moments she lived for. The adventure was nice, getting paid was preferred, but just being with Lucio and Lena was enough for her. No matter where they were.

“I’m gonna go look around,” Hana said over her shoulder, not seeing much point to standing around while Lena and Lucio worked on the ogre.

“Be careful!” they said in unison, both laughing at themselves. By then the two were side by side, elbow deep in ogre meat. Hana couldn’t help but smile as they playfully bumped each other back and forth.

“Won’t be long,” Hana set off back into the forest.

She didn’t have much reason to do so, just a personal want to be doing something useful. With everything Lena and Lucio had done for her, she couldn’t let herself be a burden. The forest was peaceful now that there wasn’t anything actively chasing her,

Hana thought. And with a meal, albeit one of ogre meat, on the way, her annoyance was all but gone. Truth be told, the bit of action had more to do with that than anything else. Any opportunity she had to prove her worth like that was welcome. One didn’t harbor a foreign runaway mage if the mage in question couldn’t make herself useful, after all.

Hana suddenly stopped, and clapped her hands against her cheeks. As many times that Lena or Lucio had promised otherwise, she couldn’t keep thoughts like that at bay for too long. As she was about to shift her thoughts to more positive things, the forest ground gave way to a well worn dirt road, the path they never should have left a day prior. She grinned and squatted, drawing a simple magic rune in the dirt that would let her find the road again easily. Scouting successful, she made her meandering way back to the clearing.

She blinked at the scene before her, Lena and Lucio standing at one end of the oval clearing passionately talking about something. Near the ogre’s corpse a fire was going, cooking up their prize by the smell of it. Both of them still had ogre blood and gore on them, so whatever it was apparently hadn’t been able to wait. Hana walked over to them, grinning when she was close enough to hear.

“How many more times are we gonna do this?” Lucio sighed, hands on his hips.

“As many times as it takes! Another race, here and now,” Lena said, not angry but certainly fired up. She was insistent at the best of times; when she was like this she could hardly be swayed.

“Place is hardly big enough,” Lucio gestured to the clearing.

“Sounds like an excuse,” Hana teased. “Found the road, whenever you two lovebirds are ready.”

“Can we go then?” Lucio asked, a futile attempt to dissuade Lena’s competitive spirit.

“Meat still needs time anyway! Abooout one race of time, I’d say?”

“No way you’ll win if you think this is gonna take that long,” Lucio grinned, finally relenting.

“The usual stakes then?”

“Loser buys dinner in the next place worth a date?”

“As always,” Hana chimed in, “I have to remind you both we share a purse.” She patted her satchel, where said purse was kept. It was disappointingly light.

“It’s the principle of the thing!” Lena waved away the simple logic.

“Yeah, the principle! You’re welcome to join us, Hana.”

She wrinkled her nose at the prospect, “Watching you two make lovey eyes at each other with sexual tension thick enough to cut with a knife? Pass, just let me know when it’s time to cuddle.” Lucio winked at Lena, who stuck her tongue out at him as Hana was talking. “See? Just like that. You gonna race or what? Meat’s burning.”

“Count us down,” Lena smiled over her shoulder at Hana.

Hana rolled her eyes and stood between them, slightly behind.

“Three!”

Lena and Lucio settled into their start positions.

“Twoooooo!”

Hana pulled her hands back.

“One, go!” To send them off, she slapped both of their butts. The countdown was meaningless, that was what they really waited for.

Lena took an early lead, leaving a trail of brilliant blue streaks and images. Lucio’s green magic aura roared to life, closing the distance and propelling him forward on a wave of green. Hana always enjoyed watching Lucio’s aura. The green energy flowed like a river, but swifter than any wind. As Lena ran unassisted by magic, needing time between blinks to recharge, Lucio took an easy lead. When they reached the end of the clearing, Lena blinked backwards, changing direction almost instantly while Lucio spent time turning around. She was much more controlled about her blinks on the way back to Hana, pacing them between steps. Lucio pushed himself, catching up despite Lena’s efforts.

“Closest one yet,” Hana murmured.

She stretched her hands out wide and shut her eyes. If she saw them coming, she was sure to flinch. As they neared Hana’s finish line, Lucio and Lena were dead even. Lucio would take a small lead, only for Lena to blink in front. Their push and pull was constant, and equal. Lucio put on a final burst of speed, stretching his hand out for Hana’s. Lena stopped completely, focusing for a fraction of a second before making a blink twice as long as any before. The severe stings came to Hana’s hands nearly in the same moment, almost impossibly close to tell.

“Why won’t you let me just make a finish line?” she hopped from foot to foot as she turned around, shaking the pain from her hands.

Lena and Lucio were both panting, looking at Hana expectantly.

“It’s not,” Lucio spoke between breaths, “It’s not the same.”

Hana rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

“Lena wins,” she declared.

As Lucio groaned, Lena leaped in celebration. She pranced a victory lap around them, kissing Hana’s cheek when she passed her, then leaning on Lucio’s back.

“I can see it now. Luxury foods, romantic lighting, all the works.”

“Sounds expensive,” Hana huffed.

“So we’ll pick up some work on the way, I’m not impatient!”

Lucio and Hana exchanged a look and then bursted out laughing. Lena pouted, crossing her arms as she got off Lucio’s back.

“I’m not!” she insisted. Her protests followed them all the way back to the pungent fire.

After collecting their food, enough thin strips of tough ogre meat to last them for the foreseeable future, the trio set out. Hana lead the way, periodically raising her hand to track the magic rune with a gentle pulse of her pink aura.

“There should be,” Hana tore into an ogre strip, as she looked at the map upon reaching the road, “A village just outside the forest. We’re not far now. If anything we should thank that ogre for getting us back on track.” She struggled to chew through the tough meat, her jaw already tired of the work. “Not that we’d need to if someone hadn’t insisted they knew a shortcut.”  
Hana looked at Lena when she didn’t respond immediately. Lena raised her eyebrows in mock surprise.

“Who? Me? That was Lu’s idea!”

“Nice try,” Lucio said after swallowing a mouthful of ogre.

“Worth the attempt,” she shrugged.

Hana fixed her with a pointed glare, and Lena put her hands together apologetically.

“I’m sorry alright! I came through this area on a mission ages ago, I thought I knew it better than that.”

“A mission?” Hana raised an eyebrow.

Lena shook her head and waved a hand. “Super secret stuff.”

The rest of their walk in the woods passed without incident, fueled by the promise of a village and terrible ogre strips. The forest broke and the road spread out before them, wide enough for several carts to travel across. Rolling green plains spread out before them, small hills rising and falling as far as they could see. Barely a mile up the road, Hana guessed, a small village was split by the road.

“Back on track,” she grinned.

“Small reminder,” Lucio said quietly, “We’re almost completely broke. Gonna have to hope they’ve got some work for us, or they accept payment in ogre strips.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it!” Lena clapped Lucio’s shoulder, then threw her arm around Hana’s shoulders. “Then you, er, we can join up with Overwatch when we hit the city! Shouldn’t be more than a day or two from here.”

“You sure about that? Sure it’s not actually gonna be four days?” Hana put her arms around Lena’s waist, squeezing as hard as she could.

Lena planted another kiss atop Hana’s head, “Someday you’ll let me live this down, right?”

“I make no promises.”

“And you said we had sexual tension,” Lucio laughed lightly.

Hana stuck her tongue at Lucio as Lena blinked out of her embrace and to Lucio’s other side.

“Awwh, not jealous are we?” she kissed his cheek, then fell in step beside him.

“I don’t get sexual tension anyway, you know that,” Hana shrugged. “Seriously, if you don’t come get me when it’s time to cuddle I’m gonna be annoyed.”

It was the middle of the afternoon when the three entered the village. The largest building was the inn, situated right along the road. Directly across the road was a tavern. Residences and other buildings sprawled in all directions on both sides. The people they saw seemed pleasant enough, offering careful smiles to a group of strangers.

“Inn first,” Hana said, pointing at the building in question.

“I need a drink,” Lena grumbled.

“You got drink money?” Lucio put his arm around her to keep her from wandering towards the tavern instead.

“Bet I could find some work there while you figure out the inn situation,” she insisted, blinking out of Lucio’s grip and halfway across the road.

Hana stopped with her hand on the inn door, and shrugged.

“It’s not like we’ll be far,” Hana agreed, nodding to Lena.

Lucio followed her into the inn. Despite it being the largest building, it was still rather small and cozy. The elderly woman attending the desk looked up from her sewing with a nearly toothless smile. Behind her was a common area with an assortment of mismatched furniture and a fireplace.

“Welcome, welcome. Haven’t had visitors in some time, what can i do for you?”

Hana tapped her fingers on the wooden desk as she spoke, “Just travelers looking for a place to spend the night.” She continued as the woman started flipping through the guestbook in front of her. “Ahh. Traveler’s looking to stay anonymous.”

The woman smiled up at her. “That’ll be a bit more if you’d like to stay.”

Hana reached into her satchel, putting their light coinpurse on the desk and hoping it would at least be enough to let them talk. The innkeeper’s smile shrank a little at the disappointing sound the few coins made.

“Not quite, dearie.”

“I don’t suppose you accept payment in ogre meat?” Hana asked, laughing sheepishly.

She blinked.

“You mean the ogre in the forest?”

Hana looked at Lucio, who shrugged. She nodded.

“Yes, that one. My friends and I killed it on our way here.”

The innkeeper stood slowly and placed her wrinkled hands on Hana’s.

“Welcome to the Spotted Dragon Inn, Miss Annie and her friends. You’ll want to collect that bounty from the tavern I suppose.”

At that moment Lena threw open the inn door, speaking loudly.

“So apparently that ogre we killed had a-”

“Yeah, we know,” Lucio grinned, inclining his head towards the innkeeper.

“Awwh, I wanted to see your faces,” Lena tossed a healthy sack of coins at Hana, who smiled at the comforting weight.

Arrangements for the night complete, the three decided to pass their time in the tavern. It was a simple tavern, with only a few patrons when they arrived. They found a table tucked away in a corner for some amount of privacy while they talked.

“I’m still having some trouble wrapping my head around,” Lucio waved his hand vaguely at Hana, sitting across the small table from him, “This.”

She sighed, “Which part?”

“I think he was too busy humming last time, might want to start from the beginning,” Lena teased.

“I was not!” Lucio protest was met with blank stares. “Alright, fine, but it was a good song. I’ll play it when I have instruments, you’ll see.”

“So, the beginning,” Hana looked around before starting. “You know I’m not from here. My country was attacked by these things. People made of metal, their insides too before you suggest they were just soldiers in armor like last time we went over this. I don’t have any idea where they came from, but they won’t stop. When I left, only a few cities were holding their ground, and even that’s a matter of time. How do you fight an army that doesn’t need sleep, or food, or supply lines?”

“So you want to join Overwatch and bring the fight to them,” Lena spoke somberly.

“Well, first I’d need to access their archives and find a way to fight them. There’s got to be some weakness I couldn’t see, something someone knows about them.” Hana clenched her fist tightly, nails biting into her palm.

Lena put her hand on top of Hana’s tenderly undoing her fist as she spoke. “We’re with you. Overwatch will have the answers you’re looking for, I’m sure of it.”

Hana heaved a sigh, trying to put on a brave smile. “It’s hard work being a sole hope, you know? I don’t know how you Overwatch guys do it.”

Lena froze in the middle of her grin, “You figured out who I am?”

Lucio chuckled, Hana nodding with a smile. “It wasn’t hard. You’re not nearly as tactful as you think.”

Lena laughed, scratching her head awkwardly, “Well, so much for my big dramatic reveal. I’ll be able to vouch for both of your skills, so don’t worry about them not accepting you.” She tapped her chin in thought, a habit picked up from Hana. “Overwatch is dedicated to peacekeeping, so there’s really no reason they wouldn’t support your plan. We’re spread thin in the kingdom as we are, though. Monster attacks on the rise, Talon up to their usual shadiness, you know?”  
Hana nodded, their recent travels already showing her enough of both.

“No one’s got any idea what Talon wants, huh?” Lucio asked Lena, tapping absentmindedly at the table.

She shook her head, “Not that we can tell. They fund several bandit groups, and seem insistent on destabilizing the region however they can. Their goal is anyone’s guess.”  
Lena didn’t let the somber silence that fell over them last long.

“Come on, let’s at least celebrate a little! The bartender told me that ogre we killed had been a problem for months!”

Hana’s smile came reluctantly, but she made a visible effort to cheer up. If Lena tried to cheer them up unsuccessfully, she ended up sadder than any of them.

“I’ll get us some drinks then,” Lucio stood, squeezing Hana’s shoulder as he walked behind her chair.

“You really think this plan will work?” Hana asked when Lucio had gone.

Lena nodded confidently. “Assuming nothing terrible happens here that we need to handle first? Of course.”

Hana blinked. “You uh, may want to knock on wood for that one.”

Lena grinned, complying with the superstition, “Fair enough.”

“Three of the Striped Drake specials, on the house!” Lucio announced as he returned, carrying a full tray with three tall flagons of ale and three plates of food piled high. He continued as he carefully served the meals. “They must have really hated having that ogre around.”

“Gee, I can’t imagine why,” Hana said sarcastically. She raised her drink in thanks towards the barkeep, a portly old man with a kind face.  
No sooner had they begun their meal when a roar shook the entire village. Hana’s eyes widened as she looked at Lucio and Lena.

“Was that-” she began, cut off by someone slamming the door open and shouting.

“D-dragon!”

“Time to go to work,” Lena muttered, standing and walking towards the door.  
Hana and Lucio followed, both cramming a few extra bites in before doing so.

“Blessings to the three of ya,” the barkeep said as they left, wringing his hands in worry. “I-I don’t think we could afford a dragon’s bounty, m’afraid.”  
Lena waved her hand, shaking her head. “No no, we weren’t expecting to be paid for the ogre either. Just doing our part.”  
Hana and Lucio nodded their agreement before following Lena outside. It didn’t take long to find the dragon. People were running away from it, so the three made their way in the opposite direction. It roared again, a long and piercing shriek.

“S-so. Dragons. Don’t have them back home,” Hana said.

“They’re not so bad, really,” Lena promised. “And with you on our side, we’ll be done before we know it. Dragons get a way worse rep than they deserve, honestly.”  
They found the beast at the edge of town, clawing it’s way into a home. It was large, roughly the same size as the building, with large wings and teeth like greatswords. Its scales ranged from light purple to sky blue, and would have been gorgeous under different circumstances. Someone inside the home was crying out for help, afraid to leave and unable to stay.

“Distract it, lead it away from the village. I’ll get whoever’s in there to safety,” Lena spoke quickly in a commanding tone, taking charge.  
Hana and Lucio followed the command, running on opposite sides of the dragon to its other side. By then the dragon had its entire head inside the home.

“Hana!” Lucio said, his green magic aura rising in time with hers.

“Right!”

She pressed her hand to the ground, causing a large stone to rise up. Hana snapped, and her aura shattered the stone into countless shards. Lucio clapped his hands together, the wind responding to his energy and forming a highspeed channel towards the dragon. Hana fed the bladelike shards into the path Lucio made, sending them at the dragon with blinding speed. Most of the stones shattered, but one struck at the right angle to embed itself between the armored scales. The dragon roared in pain, its attention snapping to the pair of mages. It turned from the ruined home, running towards them as its wings unfurled. With a single beat of its powerful wings, the dragon took flight, heading away from the village.

“Time to move,” Lucio touched Hana’s shoulder and the two gave hastened chase.

“We scare it that easily?” she asked. The stone shards she hadn’t attacked with still followed her, wrapped in pink magic energy.

“We wanted room to fight that ogre,” was Lucio’s only reply.

The dragon twisted suddenly in midair, diving right at them with lethal talons outstretched. Hana stopped to stand her ground, planting her feet and focusing on the stone shards. She clenched her fist tightly, and swing in the dragon’s direction to send them all hurtling forward. The stone shards found their marks, the dragon’s outstretched wings. They punched straight through the leathery wings, causing the dragon to roar in pain and anger. It beat its wings shakily, trying to gain altitude again, but came to crash landing behind Hana. Lucio rejoined her, scratching at the back of his neck.

“That was risky, but nice work.”

“We’re fighting a dragon, is anything not risky?”

“Fair point.”

The dragon stood and roared at them, belching a thick stream of fire. Lucio reacted quickly, slamming both hands into the ground and sending a powerful shockwave of pure force towards the dragonflame. When the forces met, Lucio pushed harder, dissipating the flame against his green magic aura. While Lucio and the dragon matched willpower, Hana took a few steps back and began focusing her magic. Her aura rose up in a bright pink column, swirling around her in her own magical windstorm. Lucio glanced back for a moment, then stood to swing his fist at the dragon. His aura launched itself forward, cutting through the flame and striking the dragon across the face. With the flame gone and the dragon dazed and unable to take flight, it could only watch as Hana cast her spell. Hana stomped once, causing the ground to shake and crack in the dragon’s direction. It was helpless as a pair of large earth hands rose from the ground, one wrapping around its neck and the other slamming a fist onto its back. The arms shattered as the ground under the completely stunned dragon churned. Hana stomped again, causing a large stone spike to rise up, piercing the dragon’s stomach. It still fought, trying to lurch forward and snapping the spike’s end in the process. The stone dragged against the ground as the dragon tried to close the distance. Lucio darted forward, easily avoiding the dragon’s lethargic attempt to snatch him up. He crouched just below Hana’s spike, aiming a shockwave up. Propelled by his force, the spike punched its way straight through the dragon, as the beast itself was lifted. By the time the dragon fell dead, he was safely out from beneath it. He rejoined Hana, patting her on the back as she caught her breath.

“See? Dragons aren’t so bad.”

Before Hana could respond Lena had caught up with them, observing their handiwork with an appreciative laugh.

“I said distract, not take all the fun!”

She blinked right into Hana as Hana stood, hugging her at top speed.

“See? Dragons aren’t so bad!”

“I told her the same thing,” Lucio grinned.

“We have very different definitions of bad, I’m noticing,” Hana said, laughing in spite of herself. She looked at the dragon’s corpse uncertainly. “Is it normal for a dragon to act like this though? Everything I read about them called them territorial, but never mentioned random attacks like this.”

“It’s strange, but not unheard of,” Lena answered.

“Hmm,” Hana murmured, hand going to her chin as she walked towards the dragon.

Lucio and Lena exchanged looks, but shrugged. It wouldn’t be the first time one of Hana’s hunches had borne fruit. Hana stepped around the pooling blood, approaching the dragon’s head. She put her hand on its snout, sending a pulse of magic through its body. She flinched, drawing her hand back quickly. It felt as if she’d been burned. A dark purple rune appeared on the dragon’s head, dozens more appearing all over its body. Her eyes widened, and she stomped. The ground beneath herself, Lucio and Lena launched them all away from the dragon as it combusted, consumed by a raging purple fire. The three landed in almost synchronized crouches. Again, this wouldn’t be the first time they’d been launched by Hana without warning. In seconds the body was gone, scorched ground the only trace left behind.

“I’m going to assume that wasn’t normal,” Hana said.

“Certainly not,” Lena laughed weakly.

“Talon?” Lucio guessed.

“Sending creatures into a frenzy certainly fits their style. Cast a spell, move on, wait for the chaos. Cheaper than funding bandits too,” Lena nodded. “We’ll report it when we get to an Overwatch outpost.  
The three made their way back to the village, greeted by a crowd large enough that it was probably everyone that lived there. The crowd cheered as they approached, and before they knew it, they were being lifted in celebration.

“Our heroes!”

“Blessings to these strangers!”

The crowd lavished their thanks on them, carrying them all the way back to the tavern, which was immediately packed for a celebration. Hana clung to Lena’s arm, not wanting to lose both her and Lucio in the crowd.  
“I love this village!” Lena shouted over the din of the crowd.

The three were eventually ushered to the middle of the tavern, next to a table where the barkeep was standing. He raised his hands, waiting for the crowd to quiet down so he could address them.

“Today we have been saved twice by these three strangers. On behalf of the entire village, we thank you,” the barkeep smiled at them, pulling the three into a hug. “Please,” he continued when he let them go, “What are your names? We simply have to have a statue made in your honor.”

Hana shook her head as Lena answered. “No no, please that won’t be necessary! I’m a part of Overwatch, this kind of thing is just what we do.”

“Then at least allow us to celebrate in your honor, adventurers.”

“Lena,” she said.

“H-hana,” Hana said her name with some reluctance.

“And Lucio! Three heroes extraordinaire, at your service. Now, does anyone have an instrument? Lute, flute, drums, whatever ya got, bring it to me outside and get ready for a show!”

Another cheer went up as Hana and Lena exchanged confused shrugs. Those that had managed to enter the tavern followed Lucio as he rejoined the bulk of the crowd outside to make the same announcement. A dozen or so villagers left the crowd, retrieving instruments for an apparent one man concert. Hana, Lena, and Lucio passed the time waiting for their return shaking hands and accepting praise. One by one, the villagers’ instruments were brought to Lucio. He touched each one as they came, wrapping them in a shining green aura. They floated behind him as he walked, a jaunty bounce in his step and a tune already on his lips.

All in all, Lucio was accompanied by four lutes, two flutes, two small drums, and a violin he actually carried. The rest floated behind him, seemingly impatient. Hana and Lena stood front and center of the large half circle that gathered to watch. All at once the instruments began to play themselves, guided by Lucio’s magic as he led with the violin. The crowd clapped in time with the drums, the tune itself upbeat and joyful. Every few seconds a green pulse radiated outwards from Lucio, leaving in its wake a lingering feeling of contentment. Lucio and the instruments didn’t play for long, but they all hung on every note. He bowed dramatically when the last night faded, not standing straight up until all the instruments had gently floated back to their original owners. He smiled kindly at the young girl who stepped forward to collect her violin.

“Thanks, little one,” he said, ruffling the girl’s black hair.

Lucio rejoined Hana and Lena a short distance from the crowd, which had begun to move away in their own celebration. The instruments were all played independently now, but somehow their disjointed sound came together just as well as Lucio’s performance.

“Ought to get an early start tomorrow,” Lucio said, eyes on the crowd.  
Hana nodded her agreement, “Good idea.”

They made their way back to the inn, bidding goodnight to the old woman there, and heading upstairs. They had been told any number of rooms could be theirs with no charge, but they opted to all collapse in a rough, affectionate pile into the same bed. Regardless of how they fell asleep, they were sure to move around throughout the night into one another’s embrace.

“I’m gonna miss that village,” Lena sighed, looking over her shoulder as the crowd that saw them off faded in the distance.

“Think they’ll actually make a statue for us?” Lucio asked.

“I think repairs come first,” Hana said. She kept walking a few steps ahead, slowing down, then doing the same again.

“We’ve got a ways to go until Giza, Hana,” Lena said, smiling at her impatience.

“Can’t we go faster?” The frustration in her tone was clear.

Lena and Hana looked at Lucio, who shrugged.

“Don’t see why not.”

His green aura flared up yet again. They took off at a brisk jog together, accelerating effortlessly when Lucio shared his magic.

“How fast could we be there?” Hana asked after a few minutes at the greatly increased pace.

“If you don’t mind me sleeping for a day when we get there, we could find out,” Lucio grinned. It wasn’t often he got to push his limits, and he was admittedly curious to find out what they were.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, alright?” Lena said. Hana nodded her agreement.

As Lucio pushed his magic harder, the three took off in a green blur. His aura grew to fully envelop them, a dirt cloud left in their wake.

“You could have been doing this the whole time?” Hana was too impressed to feel annoyed.

“No way I can keep up with this,” Lena said, a little disappointed.

Lucio laughed once, too focused on maintaining their speed to properly respond. The grassy plains around them gave way to drier lands. The trees grew fewer and fewer, eventually replaced by dry brush too stubborn not to grow.

“Slow down,” Hana said suddenly, raising a hand.

Lucio’s green aura vanished suddenly, and the three continued running until they were able to stop. He doubled over to collect himself, visibly exhausted.

“I think I felt the same magic as whatever happened to that dragon,” Hana said, eyes widening as she looked from Lucio to Lena.

“You can do that?” Lena raised her eyebrows.

“Uhm. You can’t? Detecting magic was one of the first things they taught me back home.”

Lena shook her head, “Nope! Well, moving along from that. Where to?”

“I’m just…gonna rest here a minute,” Lucio said between deep breaths, “Go ahead, I’ll catch up.”

Hana nodded, then set off in what she felt was the right direction. Lena followed into the dry plains, hand on the sword at her hip.

“So you can just tell when people are using magic nearby?”

Hana shook her head, “Not exactly. It’s only if something using a lot of power is going on. I probably would have been able to detect Lucio, but not further than a half mile. So, hopefully we’re not far from whatever this is.”

“You gotta teach me that sometime!” Lena declared.

Hana glanced at Lena, and shrugged. “I’m not sure how, really. It was so long ago, it’d be like teaching someone how their hands work, you know?”

“How long could it have been? You’re, what, twenty?”

“Yes, and I learned this when I was four.”

“…Oh.”

Hana couldn’t help but laugh a little. “I’m going to guess children in this country don’t start so early.”

“You’ve got twice as many years experience! And I’m twenty-six!”

Hana blinked in surprise. “I can’t even imagine how strong you could be if you started as early as I did. I’m good because of it, but you have incredible natural talent if that’s accurate.”  
Lena let her mind wander to what she might have been capable of under different circumstances. It made her a little sad, but more than anything served as motivation to be better in the future.

“Huh,” she murmured.

“We’re close now,” Hana said quietly.

They approached a small cliff, staying low to the ground. Peering over the edge, they both nearly gasped sharply. There were two figures that seemed to be cloaked in shadow near a colossal serpent. The sand colored beast was shackled by a set of chains made of purple energy digging into its scales. One figure, a woman by the way their cloak hung, had her hand on the snake’s head. Dark magic flowed from her into a glowing rune, identical to the one on the dragon. The malice in her dark purple aura was palpable, even from their distance. The other, larger, figure was pacing with his arms crossed.

“Talon,” Lena whispered.

“We’re stopping them,” Hana declared.

“If I didn’t know better I’d say you were already in Overwatch. They’ll try to run, I’m sure.”

“Get me an opening to at least touch one of them,” Hana said confidently.

Lena raised an eyebrow, but nodded. “Follow my lead.”

She stood and drew her sword before jumping down the small cliff. Just before landing, she blinked forward, running as if she had never been falling in the first place. By the time Hana reached the ground, softening the landing with a cushion of magic energy, Lena had already blinked into the fray. Lena caught the woman casting the spell off guard, blinking to her other side and kicking her in Hana’s direction.

“Sombra!” the cloaked man’s voice was halfway between a dying rasp and a throaty growl.

He advanced on Lena, a pair of wicked axes materializing from his dark cloak. Under his hood, Lena saw that his face was covered by a stark white owl mask. Sombra landed in a lithe crouch near Hana, looking at her briefly. A purple and black starry sky seemed to swirl nebulously under her hood, obscuring her face. Hana rushed forward, lightning leaping from her fingertips. The smell of burnt atmosphere stung her nose. Her spell had no apparent effect, seeming to blast straight through Sombra. She stood and walked towards Hana without worry. Hana’s brow furrowed as she launched a fireball at Sombra’s feet. The flames erupted in a geyser which Sombra walked through, unharmed. Before Hana could cast another spell, a fist from nowhere struck her across the cheek. She swung back in confusion as a taunting laugh met her ears.

“Not even close chiquita.”

Hana looked at what she now realized was an illusory Sombra, clenching her jaw as it laughed at her.

“Hide from this,” she muttered.

Her aura flared up as she pulled her fist back. After a moment’s concentration, she swung downward, sending out a powerful radial shockwave. Behind her the real Sombra cried out, blasted back into the cliff face with her invisibility broken. Hana grinned and rushed towards her. Before Sombra had scrambled to her feet and was halfway invisible when Hana tackled her. She aimed a punch down where she guessed Sombra’s face was within the swirling stars under the hood. It was all she had time for as a chill crept up her spine, a shadow falling over herself and Sombra. His axe flashed in the midday sun. Hana pitched forward, the axe blade nicking the back of her. It cleaved into the cliff face, and the man left it, raising the second axe with both hands. Lena blinked in from nowhere, blood streaming down her face as she made to stab the man in the back. Her sword passed through harmlessly as his form disippated into shadow. He became a dark cloud swirling around all of them, obscuring Hana and Lena’s vision. The dark cloud coalesced a short distance away, rematerializing into the masked man with Sombra at his side. The two pairs stared at each other for a second before he shifted again into his smoky form, whisking himself and Sombra away.  
The snake thrashed in its fading bonds, leaving Hana and Lena no time to celebrate. Hana wasted no time, conjuring her aura once more. In front of her a human sized golem climbed out of the ground. It had an opening in its back. Hana and Lena exchanged a look, and the latter nodded her understanding. The miniature golem ran forward, Lena following close behind as her blue aura rose. She collected the magic energy, solidifying it into an unstable orb in her free hand. The giant serpent, nearly free from the shadow shackles made to snatch the golem in its mouth. As it did so, Lena lobbed the volatile orb into the golem’s open back. She blinked back to a safe distance, to Hana’s side as the snake completely freed itself and swallowed their bomb. It screeched, dark rune on it’s head pulsing. A heartbeat later, Lena’s orb exploded in a flash of blue. The snake’s head was severed, landing with a meaty thud as its body twitched. Hana ran forward, leaping onto the head and placing her hand over the rune. She shut her eyes, overwhelming the rune’s volatile reaction with raw magic force. The rest of the body ignited in purple flames like the dragon from the day before. Hana squatted atop the snake’s head as Lena approached carefully.

“Get a chance to touch them? For some reason?” Lena said, wiping away the blood from her forehead.

Hana looked up from the rune and nodded. “Yes. That woman, Sombra he called her. I tagged her with enough of a magic imprint to track wherever they go. Or at least get a good idea.”  
Lena stared blankly, and Hana sighed.

“You people in this kingdom really need to get your magic theory together. Imagine stretching your finger out across a dark room. You can’t see it, but you still know where your finger is. The imprint my magic left on her works like that.”

Lena nodded, “Mhmm, mhmm. Wanna know how my magic works?”

Hana sat on the snake head, her examination of the rune done. Her legs dangled a good distance above the ground. “How?”

“I go fast.”

“Astounding. Let’s get back to Lu.”

They rejoined Lucio halfway back to the road, and told him what had happened.

“What are we waiting around for then? Let’s get after them before they can cause more harm,” he said.

Lena looked at Hana expectantly. Hana closed her eyes, concentrating on the magic imprint. It was a few miles away already, but they seemed to be slowing down.

“They’re still moving, but not very fast. Certainly slower than we could move, if Lucio’s up for it.”n

“Give me a little while longer. I’ll get us where we need to be, just lead the way.”

“You sure you’re okay with this Hana? You can just tell Overwatch where to go. You said your people can’t wait forever,” Lea said, following Hana as she set off at a brisk walk.

“They’ll be fine for some time yet, I’m sure. Those cities are still standing for a reason, after all.”

Lena grinned, patting her on the shoulder. “Let’s go be heroes then.”

The three set out with a new direction and purpose. Before long, Lucio was able to hasten their approach towards the stopped Talon agents. They stopped only a few miles away, and they quickly caught up. They found themselves looking up at a ruined tower as the afternoon sun shone down. Several large monster corpses were strewn about the landscape, likely failed experiments.

“This is the place,” Hana said, her brow furrowing.

“Doesn’t look like much,” Lucio said doubtfully.

“How rude,” a voice growled from behind them.

The voice’s owner materialized behind them, the man from before with both axes at the ready. Hana, Lena, and Lucio scattered, facing him from a short distance in a loose half circle.

“You!” Lena drew her sword, pointing it at him. “You left without giving your name last time. That was rude.”

He laughed, a cruel rasping noise. “How’s the Reaper sound? None of you are leaving here alive.” Reaper drew an axe across his throat dramatically.

“Hana, find the other one. We’ll keep him busy,” Lena said quickly.

She nodded and turned to run into the tower.

“Won’t be long,” Reaper taunted, then lunged at Lucio.

Before he was close enough to swing, Lucio sent him flying back with a dense shockwave. He rolled to a halt, then stood, seeming to sigh. His form dispersed into a dark cloud again, which rushed at Lena and Lucio. Lena blinked forward, her blade glowing bright blue as she charged it with magic. With the momentum of her blink, she slashed at the cloud. A crescent shaped wave of energy hurtled towards Reaper, and his cloudy form parted around it. He materialized behind Lena, aiming to bring both axes down on her back. They found nothing but an afterimage, Lena having blinked Reaper.

“How irritating,” he growled, swinging back at her.

She hopped back, easily avoiding the attack. Reaper followed, swinging repeatedly at her. Each attack came faster and faster, his body dissipating and reforming constantly. Before long he became nothing but a dark cloud advancing on Lena, hands appearing long enough to swing an axe. It was all she could do to continue blinking backwards and hope Lucio had a plan. She hoped Hana was having better luck.  
Hana, upon entering the ruins, found a hidden door leading to a lower chamber. She walked down the spiralling stairs, illuminating her way with her aura.

“Getting closer, chiquita,” Sombra’s voice coming from nowhere nearly made Hana jump out of her skin.

“Better not try to hide,” she murmured darkly.

Sombra’s laugh echoed through the stairs. Suddenly, before Hana’s eyes, an open doorway appeared on the wall. “Guess how many times you walked by?”  
Hana cautiously stuck her hand through the doorway, eliciting another echoing laugh. It seemed to come from the dark room and all around her.

“Come on, I wouldn’t kill you with a trap. Let’s finish this.”  
Hana let her magic aura rise up as she entered the dark room. A series of purple torches lining the walls of the large rectangular room sprang to life when she entered. At the far end of the room Sombra stood with her hood down. Her dark purple aura roared to life, pressing against Hana’s.

“Let’s not waste time,” Sombra said with a grin.

Outside, Lena and Lucio were at their limit avoiding Reaper’s shadowy onslaught. Wherever she blinked, he followed quickly, and Lucio couldn’t get close enough to help.

“Pointless,” Reaper said as Lena’s sword past harmlessly through his torso.

Lena yelled in frustration, her sword glowing again. When she swung, Reaper actually stepped back to avoid it, rather than allow his nebulous form to do the work. Lena and Lucio made brief eye contact from a distance, half a plan hatching between them.

“Hell,” Reaper muttered.

Lena went on the offensive now, her sword shining with magic energy. It left bright blue streaks with each swing, sending Reaper on the defensive. Lena thrusted forward, Lucio attacking from behind with a shockwave as Reaper sidestepped. He stumbled forward, tripping over Lena’s outstretched leg. Before he could recover, she blinked just in front of him, preparing to swing down with both hands. In the instant before her blade connected, Reaper burst into dark clouds again, vanishing.

Under the ruins, Hana and Sombra matched spells. The room was already ruined, scorched by flame and other magic bursts. Hana swatted aside a bolt of lightning, responding with a row of spikes from the ground. Sombra simply stomped, stopping the spell in its tracks. In the moment longer it took Sombra to send an attack back, Hana pressed the offensive. With one hand she launched a volley of small fireballs, the other she focused magic energy into. She kept up the flames as Sombra avoided or blocked them with magic. Suddenly, she threw a punch from afar, sending a dense orb of energy at Sombra. It was slow moving, and she laughed as she avoided it easily. It sank into the wall behind Sombra.

“You really will have to try harder than that.”

Hana clenched her open hand, pulling back on the aura that had entered the wall. It burst outward, a stone hand reaching out and grabbing Sombra. She tried uselessly to squirm free, her magic aura vanishing as it was overpowered by Hana.

“How’s that?” Hana asked as the stone grip tightened.

“Cheated, whatever,” Sombra spat.

Just then, Lena and Lucio entered the room, stopping when they saw the destruction. Lucio let out a long whistle as Lena rushed to Hana’s side.

“The other one got away. Great work with this one,” Lena smiled, putting her arm around Hana’s shoulder. “Now you’ll be coming with us to answer for Talon’s crimes. Give us what we want, and I’ll see to it you’re treated fairly.”  
Hana snapped, causing the stone hand to break apart, allowing Sombra to land on her feet. Enough of the stone remained to keep her arms firmly bound at her side, and weighed her down enough to make escape impossible.

“I’ll just break out, you know?” Sombra muttered as the three marched up the stairs.

“Right, right,” Lena muttered.

“Our work is done anyway.”

“And what work is that?” Hana asked. As she spoke the stones tightened around Sombra.

“You saw! Take these damn rocks off!”

“We’re going to have a long long talk before that,” Hana promised, then looked to Lena and Lucio.

They stood outside the tower, the sun just beginning to set on the distant horizon.

“Good day,” Lucio grinned. “Onward to Giza then, yeah?”

Hana nodded with a smile and started walking, the others close behind. After a day like this, she thought, Overwatch was sure to accept her. She would save her people with their help. Even without them, if Lena and Lucio were at her side, anything was possible.


End file.
